Worth fighting for
by JolinarJackson
Summary: "So ... where've you been?" The silence stretched. Jack was still looking at him, his blue eyes unreadable. For a full minute.         Set before CoE but there are characters from CoE in this!


**Worth fighting for**

Word Count: 2.053

Summary: "So ... where've you been?" The silence stretched. Jack was still looking at him, his blue eyes unreadable. For a full minute.

Characters: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Steven Carter

_Pairing: _Jack/Ianto

_Rating:_ PG-13 (sexual innuendo)_  
Spoiler: Cyberwoman, Small worlds, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A day in the death, Children of Earth  
Setting:_ first part in season 1 after _Small worlds_, second part in season 2 after _A day in the death  
__Warnings: _Slash, domestic behaviour, fluff (but a little angst crept in – damn it! I'm unable to write without angst)_  
Author's Note: _Written for the redisourcolor prompt _#06 – Children_. Using _"Well, I wanted strawberry!"_ and the words _scarred _(still hoping I'm not half-blind and mistook _scared _for_ scarred), fairytale_ and _sunscreen_.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Torchwood_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

XXX

Ianto looked up from the paperwork on Jack's desk he was sorting through when the other man entered his office.

"Sir," he said and looked at the clock.

Jack had been gone most of the day, not telling Ianto where to but assuring him that he could be reached via his mobile. Ever since Jack's friend Estelle had died a few days ago, the captain had been distant. Now he smiled, albeit wearily, and Ianto thought he could see that a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

With Jack absent and the Rift being quiet for once, the day had been going by slowly.

The others had gone home a while ago.

Ianto had stayed to wait for Jack, feeling it was his duty to make sure that the captain was alright.

"It's late."

"I know," Jack answered with a tired sigh and Ianto took his coat from him. "Long day."

"Where have you been?" Ianto asked conversationally and, as an afterthought, added, "If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind you asking at all," Jack answered and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. "As long as you don't mind me not answering."

Ianto nodded, feeling chastised. "I'm sorry, sir." He checked Jack's coat to make sure that it didn't need cleaning or sewing for some reason before hanging it up. There were a few grains of sand stuck to the wool. Ianto brushed them off.

"It's okay." Jack stopped next to him and dropped a kiss on Ianto's forehead. "Go home, Ianto."

The archivist hesitated.

"You look beat," Jack said. "You're working too hard."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" Jack's thumb touched the base of Ianto's neck, his hand warm on Ianto's shoulder. "Are you really?"

Ianto nodded, appreciating the effort Jack made.

"Yes, sir. I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need before I go home."

Jack smiled. "You're a good man, Ianto Jones."

XXX

Ianto woke when Jack settled in behind him, wrapping an arm around the younger man's waist and pulling him closer to his body. A glance at his alarm clock on the bedside table told Ianto that it was well past midnight.

"Where've you been?" he asked sleepily and turned around in Jack's arms to rest his forehead against Jack's naked chest. Their legs entangled and when Ianto's hand brushed Jack's thigh, he noticed that the captain was naked all over which didn't bode well for Ianto's wish to sleep after he'd spent a long day feeding the press cover stories for the strange lights Cardiff's citizens had seen the night before.

Owen had been in the Hub even before Ianto this morning, admitting that he was the one responsible for the light show and handing over the Pulse.

Jack sighed. "Out."

"Out?" Ianto looked up at him, feeling just a bit jealous. "Where?"

Jack's face stayed unreadable. "Does it matter?"

Ianto closed his eyes and pulled Jack closer. "I guess not," he answered, breathing in Jack's scent and wondering if he'd showered recently. Maybe to wash away the smell of another man.

He felt ashamed for that thought just a second later. Ianto hated himself whenever he got so insecure. Jack had never given the slightest indication that he was sleepig with others since they started dating. Or even before they started dating. In fact, ever since Ianto knew Jack, he'd seen the captain flirt plenty of times, but he'd almost never acted on it. He'd always been at the Hub, always ready.

Ianto should know. He'd spent many nights in the base, tending to Lisa and later on just working off his grief.

Jack had always been there too, distracting him with a snack or a chat ... or more.

Jack's hand brushed Ianto's hip and settled on his behind, pulling him closer.

Ianto kissed Jack's chest in apology. "I'm tired."

"That's okay. You can just lie there and let me do all the work."

Ianto chuckled and felt Jack press a kiss to his forehead. Jack's hand pulled down Ianto's pajama trousers teasingly until the younger man stopped him with an exasperated sigh. "Jack …"

"I'm not doing anything," Jack grinned.

"That's harassment."

"You love it."

Ianto looked at Jack and smiled. "I do."

XXX

Ianto's apartment door opened and Jack entered. Ianto watched him stroll into the living room and take in the scene.

The tv was showing the news and Ianto was on the couch, wrapped up in the blanket he and Lisa had bought for their first apartment's living room.

"Hey!" Jack said and he draped his coat over the back of the couch.

"Hey!" Ianto answered. Jack fell onto the couch beside him and Ianto snuggled up to him. Jack's arm wrapped around Ianto and pulled him closer.

The younger man kept his attention on the news.

Jack nuzzled his temple and dropped a kiss into his dark hair. Ianto turned his head and Jack kissed him deeply, pulling him closer. When the captain broke the kiss, he looked into Ianto's eyes. "Don't you want to know where I was the whole day?"

Ianto raised his eyebrows. "Would you tell me? 'Cause every time I ask you, you get all mysterious and secretive."

Jack just looked at him.

Ianto sighed. "So ... where've you been?"

The silence stretched. Jack was still looking at him, his blue eyes unreadable. For a full minute.

Then he said, "I went to see my grandson."

Ianto was still trying to wrap his head around that answer when Jack added, "I have been for quite a while. His mother – my daughter – she doesn't want me around and I can't blame her, but sometimes we end up talking when Steven's asleep and Steven ... she lets me see him whenever I want to. Of course, he thinks that I'm his uncle. And sometime in the future, I will have to tell him the truth or stop visiting. But that's where I've been." He sighed. "To see my grandson."

Ianto swallowed, overwhelmed. He took a breath. He let it out. "I'm stupid," he said. "You've been on Earth for so long and it never occured to me that you could have a family. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I never talked about them."

Ianto sighed. "Wow! A family."

"Yeah," Jack answered. "Wow!"

XXX

Steven was blond and he had Jack's eyes. And as it turned out, he was quite the heartbreaker. Four girls were vying for his attention on the playground. And Steven managed to make them all happy.

At least from Ianto's vantage point. He was sitting on a blanket he and Jack had spread out on the grass in the park. The sun had been shining for three days in a row now and it was hot. They had a free day with Tosh, Gwen and Owen baby-sitting the Rift. Ianto felt out of place, even though he was blending in perfectly in his jeans and the dark t-shirt. Jack, wearing the only jeans he had and a white t-shirt, looked up from the book he'd been reading and stared at Ianto who was watching Steven and the other children laughing and playing in the park.

"Reminds you what we're fighing for, right?"

Ianto nodded.

Jack put the book aside and sat up. He wrapped an arm around Ianto's waist and leaned closer to rest his chin on Ianto's shoulder. "Too much?" he asked softly.

Ianto turned his head to look at him. "What?"

"Am I asking too much of you? You're barely twenty-five and I turn you into a step-grandfather."

"That's not it," Ianto assured him hastily.

"No?"

"No. I promise," Ianto answered. "That's not it. He's ... he's a great kid. I like him."

"That doesn't mean that he can't freak you out."

"He doesn't freak me out," Ianto answered.

Jack waited for a few moments and let the silence settle over them before breaking it. "Then why have you been so quiet ever since we picked him up?"

Ianto sighed deeply. "I don't know, I …" He shrugged. "He reminds me of my sister's kids."

"You're an uncle?" There was real surprise in Jack's voice.

Ianto nodded.

"See? I didn't know that. How often do you get to see them?"

Ianto ducked his head and cleared his throat. "Not at all in the last couple of years. Ever since London."

Jack frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know. I'm ... at first I had to look after Lisa and then there was work and ... then I felt bad for not showing up for so long, you know. Rhiannon might even think that I'm dead."

"I think she would be happy to see that you're not."

Ianto looked at Jack and smiled helplessly. "I've changed. I'm ... scarred. I'm not the little brother she used to know."

"Uncle Jack," Steven interrupted them and Ianto tried to plaster a smile on his face for the boy.

Jack managed it. "What?"

"The others are buying ice cream. Can I have some too?"

Jack pulled two fivers out of his jeans pocket. "Sure. Buy some for me and Ianto too, okay?"

Steven nodded.

"Don't leave the park. Stay where I can see you."

"Okay." Steven grabbed the money and ran off.

"Vanilla!" Jack called after him. Then he looked at Ianto attentively, keeping one eye on Steven.

"Look at you," Ianto said miserably. "You're a great uncle ... grandfather. I'm not. I mean, I'm not the kind of uncle who sits down and tells the kids a fairytale. They barely know me."

"You can change that."

"I'm not sure if I want to. My life's ... difficult. I don't know if I could be there for them the way an uncle should. And things between Rhiannon and me ... they're complicated."

Jack kissed Ianto's cheek, then leaned his forehead against the young man's temple. He was close enough for Ianto to pick up the faint scent of sunscreen.

"It's your decision. I just want you to think about it."

Ianto nodded. "I will."

Steven returned with ice cream in three small plastic cups.

"Thanks," Jack said.

Steven wanted to hand him the change, but Jack waved it off and Steven pocketed the money with a grin. "Thank you." He left with his ice cream, joining the four girls who were already sitting on the grass a few feet away.

Ianto looked at his ice cream. "Why did I get vanilla?"

"I know, it's shocking," Jack answered and in a low voice added, "Especially since you're not into vanilla ... most of the time."

Ianto shoved him away. "Jack!" But his mood lightened. He had no idea how Jack did it, but he could make Ianto happy with just a few words.

"You love it."

Ianto grinned.

Jack began to eat his ice cream. "I love vanilla."

"Well, _I_ wanted strawberry!" Ianto answered.

"Good thing I bought the flavoured condoms then."

Ianto couldn't help but laugh. "Stop it, Jack. There are children all around us."

"They don't even care. Hell, you 21st century people! So prude. Kids don't care about us talking about sex."

Ianto shook his head with a smile. They ate their ice cream in silence for a while, relaxing in the sun and the presence of each other.

"We don't get to do this as often as we should," Ianto sighed.

"Yeah," Jack answered.

"Thanks for taking me with you."

"Thanks for coming."

They kissed tenderly, lingering on each other' lips.

"Did I tell you how hot you look in these?" Jack asked, pulling Ianto closer with an arm around his waist and letting his fingers brush the skin just above the waist band of the jeans.

Ianto made a show of contemplating the question. "During breakfast, during lunch, just before picking up Steven and then again during our walk around the playground."

"You forgot the one time after lunch."

Ianto frowned. "After lunch? We had sex after lunch."

"Exactly," Jack answered with a leer.

Ianto blushed and looked away.

"I could tell you again as soon as we get home after we dropped Steven off."

Ianto smiled at him. "You could," he agreed.

Jack bit his lip. Then he asked, "What kind of ... telling would you prefer? Vanilla or strawberry?"

Ianto grinned. "How about both?"

END

07/10


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